Two residential projects on Canal Street in New Orleans could spark the rehabilitation of acres of empty upper floors along the historic corridor.

On one of the most historic shopping boulevards in the United States, half of the real estate sits empty - the upper floors. Throngs of tourists and residents stroll along the street hourly, and yet for decades building owners have struggled with the question of what to do with all this empty space. Many gave up trying to use it years ago.

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The Klamath Falls Downtown Association and other community leaders are continuing an effort to take the downtown corridor to the next level, tapping into the market of upper level living spaces for young professionals.

The KFDA is utilizing the expertise of Illinois-based consulting firm UpstairsDowntown that helps cities across the United States identify resources needed to redevelop the upper levels of historic buildings. Dan Carmody and Mike Jackson, of UpstairsDowntown, based in Springfield, Ill., presented local community leaders with their approach to historic redevelopment Monday, and toured the upper levels of local buildings Tuesday morning.

The UpstairsDowntown’s educational workshop follows up on March presentation by a Portland architectural firm that first presented on the benefits of upper-level living spaces.

Creating ‘neighborhood’

“We’re not about creating a downtown market,” Carmody told a group of attendees Monday at The Ninth Street Venue. “We’re about creating a downtown neighborhood.”

Carmody and Jackson emphasized millennials want to live in a space that fosters community, such as a downtown location.

“This is all about managing capacities about what we can do, what have we got, and how do we put it together to make this work,” Jackson said, during a tour of downtown’s historic buildings Tuesday. “There’s great opportunity here. Now it’s just about managing all the players to come together.”

Traditional Building Magazine featured the Award Winning Upstairs Downtown program in its October, 2009 issue.

"Thousands of buildings in America's older downtowns have vacant upper floors. These spaces have a central location, high visibility, and complete community infrastructure and are prime candidates for redevelopment......" Read the full article here by clicking on this link.

Saint Paul, Minn. (October 4, 2007) – Today, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s “Upstairs Downtown” Program is receiving a prestigious National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The project is one of 21 national award winners the National Trust for Historic Preservation is honoring during its week-long 2007 National Preservation Conference in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Across the country, there are thousands of buildings with vacant upper floors. As sidewalks buzz with activities and storefronts cast a welcoming glow, upstairs windows are dark and the spaces behind them are often vacant and forgotten. But the “Upstairs Downtown” program, an ambitious initiative of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), is working to provide comprehensive strategies for revitalizing these underdeveloped spaces in historic downtown buildings... Read the full press release here.